VINITA—Craig County voters yesterday narrowly passed a 3/4-cent sales tax extension to fund a proposed multi-million-dollar facility on the county fairgrounds in Vinita and promoted as a community center. When the polls closed, the precincts that vote at the Welch Civic Auditorium had defeated the measure, with 96 in favor and 98 opposed. Bluejacket voters defeated the measure by a significant margin. Overall, though, county voters approved the measure by a vote of 667-626, giving tax-extension proponents a 41-vote victory, which works out to 51.5% passage.

The facility will be built with money raised from bonds sold now and repaid after the new county courthouse debt is retired. County voters previously approved a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund the new courthouse and sheriff’s office/jail; 1/4-cent continues in perpetuity to provide courthouse maintenance, while 3/4-cent was set to expire in 2023. Passage of yesterday’s measure extends the 3/4-cent portion of the sales tax to 2040. Supporters of the fairgrounds facility were unable to propose a new tax because Craig County is maxed out on bonds, requiring the extension of this tax to 2040.

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